Food, Science, and the Challenge of World Hunger

Comments (0)

Transcript of Food, Science, and the Challenge of World Hunger

photo credit Nasa / Goddard Space Flight Center / Reto Stöckli Food, Science, and the Challenge of World Hunger- Who Will Control the Future?By: Peter Pringle Golden Rice daffodil gene + rice plant = golden ricecontains Vitamin A could save so many lives & be distributed for free to farmers in developing countriesbiotech companies owned over forty patents having to do with the new crop anyone who planted them had to pay royalties Humans Remake the Products of Nature biotechnology = the genetic manipulation of living things in ways that are expected to benefit humansBreeding methods used by biotechnologists: -Tissue culture -Anther culture -Gene Marker selection food crisis= excuse to use GM plantsanti GM leaders condemn biotechnology as unnecessary, antinature, and ungodlyAnti-GM activists find that corporations are using the food crisis as an excuse to impose patented GM seeds on farmersevidence = the sudden hurry to make second generation GM plants 'climate ready'Some people are antiscience (condemn biotech as unnecessary and antinature) Hunger in the Developing World - The Biotech Factor Putting Technological Tools In The Hands Of Those Who Need Them Another Take: Hazards Of Genetically Engineered Foods and Crops Why we need a global moratorium Genetically engineering (GE) = the practice of interfering with the genetic blueprints of living organismsGE is still a developing technologyTypes of hazards of GE crops:Human healthEnvironmental Socioeconomic safety and environmental concerns & gov. regulations caused the rice business to close down 2008 = world food crisis (food prices rocketed)global warming posed threats to worsen the situation most developed countries' farmers planted a record grain harvest but Asian & African farmers had to turn to GM crops again2009 = new golden rice product w/ a new public patron: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundationwanted to spur a Green Revolution by making 3-in-1 in the Philippines new golden rice = more beta-carotenegenes that resist certain infections and tungro (local virus) anti-GM activists still argued that: governments should refuse the growth of any "frankenfoods"agribusiness was using the food crisis to gain public acceptance of GM crops It's hard for developing countries to keep up with the rest of the world (don't have the same climate and $ for fertilizers)Decreasing malnutrition will require: Good quality, cheap seeds that will grow in local enviroments Ready credit for farmers to buy fertilizersAccess to waterStable political enviromentEfficient means of distribution and entry to markets Richard Jefferson (American/Austrailian Molecular Biologist) called for the creation of a "Protected technology commons"where scientists can freely collaborate, share improvements, and exchange informationJefferson hopes that all kinds of people will be able to form exceptional new methods that will benefit human well-beinggoal = a world where people have enough food & the power to decide where it comes from, who produces it, and how it's grown Toxins & Poisons Toxins & Poisons Scientists find that genetic manipulation can raise the level of natural plant toxins/allergens in food in unexpected waysConsumers have become somewhat of 'guniea pigs in a vast experiment' Increased Cancer Risks In 1994 the sale Monsanto's rBGH was approved by the FDA rBGH = a hormone that's injected into cows to make them produce more milkScientists warn about the possibilitys of cancer (human breast, prostate, & colon) from extreme doses of chemical hormones Food Allergies 8% of America's children have food allergiesPeople with food allergies that experience mild-extreme symptoms may be harmed by contact w/ foreign proteins added into common foodsPre-market safety testing is necessary b/c humans haven't yet consumed most of the foreign proteins being added into foods Mandatory labeling is also required Damage to Food Quality and Nutrition GE foods are lower quality and have lower levels of nutritional valueEx. milk from cows injected with rBGH includes more pus bacteria and fat Increased Pesticide Residue U.S. farmers growing GE crops are using the same (if not more) amount of toxic pesticides and herbicides as traditional farmers80% of all GE crops planted in 2000 were genetically engineered to be herbicide-resistant Genetic Pollution GE crops are more unpredictable than chemical pollutants (can reproduce, migrate, & mutate)EU regulators are considering an 'allowable limit' for genetic contamination of non-GE foods because they believe genetic pollution cannot be controlled Damage to beneficial insects and soil fertility GE crops are harmfully affecting a number of beneficial insects Creation OF GE "Superweeds" and "Superpests" Making crops to be herbicide-resistant or to make their own pesticide presents serious problems New Viruses and Pathogens Gene connecting will certainly result in unexpected outcomes and surprises Genetically altering plants to resist viruses can cause the viruses to mutate into more toxic forms Patenting of GE foods and biotech food production threatens to end farming despite its history of 12,000 yearsRural communities would be deeply harmed (many farmers and agricultural workers would lose their jobs) A Climate of Fear By Ronnie Cummins, Organic Consumers Association Genetic Pollution Socioeconomic Hazards SOAPSTone Speaker: Peter Pringle and Ronnie CumminsOccasion: larger occasionthe environment around him & the new data pulled up each year sparked his thought processAudience:all consumers Purpose:wanted to bring light to the 'behind-the-scenes' of big food corporations what biotechnology is and how it affects usSubject:large corporations use biotechnology to mutate, reconstruct, and manipulate certain food productsome companies use biotech to make more food in a faster manner others use biotech to produce new varities of food with more benefits (and higher risk)Tone:biasedshows readers what the effects of using biotechnology are (some positive, most negative)what we can do about it THE END